The walls, floors and furniture incorporate local reclaimed materials from sources like dead or dying trees and trees downed in the ice storm of 2018, made by Toronto reclaimed-wood-working studio Just Be Woodsy.
Category Archives: Reuse Design
Kirkland Breaks Ground On New 7-Story Apartment Building | Kirkland, WA Patch
The building was developed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold standards and Puget Sound Energy’s Built Smart guidelines, with construction including reclaimed materials from the warehouse that used to occupy the site.
Source: Kirkland Breaks Ground On New 7-Story Apartment Building | Kirkland, WA Patch
Architectural storytelling by Heliotrope Architects in NYC | Livegreenblog
Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects has designed the renovation of the Filson NYC Flagship Store in mid-town Manhattan. It all originated with the conversion of a mattress shop that now houses an old barn, the central element in the architectural storytelling of the new shop.
Source: Architectural storytelling by Heliotrope Architects in NYC | Livegreenblog
Koya House in LA shows the softer side of minimalism – The Spaces
Photography: Lauren Engel
Koya House is listed with RsR Real Estate at Compass for $1.589m, having been overhauled using reclaimed materials, concrete and a monochrome colour palette to modernise its 1920s shell.
Source: Koya House in LA shows the softer side of minimalism – The Spaces
Combining comfort with cannabis | InspireDesign Innovative vision for today’s hotel
Scotia Lodge is so much more than just a hotel, rather it is a piece of the region’s rich and storied history.
Similar to the other ventures under the Humboldt Social brand, the design aesthetic of Scotia Lodge highlights the history and beauty of the North Coast, with an emphasis on reclaimed materials, vintage furnishings and lots of natural light.
Source: Combining comfort with cannabis | InspireDesign Innovative vision for today’s hotel
Kansas City Man Turns Backyard Into ‘Jam Session Extraordinare’ For Musicians And Fans During COVID | KCUR 89.3 – NPR in Kansas City. Local news, entertainment and podcasts.
Julie Denesha/ Performing on an improvised stage, trombonist Trevor Turla plays to the gathered crowd at The Raj Ma Hall, an outdoor concert venue in the Historic Northeast.
The yard is distinctive thanks to three rustic houses built from reclaimed materials. They’re the work of Roger MacBride, the sculptor and artist who lives here.
Wallmakers architects’ brick Pirouette House | Floornature
Wallmakers architects’ brick Pirouette House
A brick house in Trivandrum, in the Indian state of Kerala, was built to maximise the performance of the materials used by its designers, Wallmakers architects, who completed the building with reclaimed timber and metal.
Source: Wallmakers architects’ brick Pirouette House | Floornature
Buckets of discarded brass shavings inspire these chic earrings
The new collection, Trucioli – a thin, curly piece of material shaved from a bigger piece – takes these brass shavings, coats them in gold and hand paints them in epoxy resin for joyful and sustainable designs.
Brass jewellery from Italian brand So-Le Studio makes good use of metal offcuts
Source: Buckets of discarded brass shavings inspire these chic earrings
Kraft Heinz pilots recycled plastic packaging for roofs | Construction Dive
Courtesy of Kraft Heinz
As manufacturers are working to reuse their waste products — both through upcycled products that save food items from the trash and manufacturing processes that use waste for energy — a successful test result could put Kraft Heinz in a class of its own. The company could potentially renovate its factories with its own post-consumer waste, which would be impactful.
Source: Kraft Heinz pilots recycled plastic packaging for roofs | Construction Dive
TECLA: 3D printed eco-habitat by WASP and Mario Cucinella Architects in Italy
Engineered by 3D printing specialists WASP and designed by Mario Cucinella Architects, the first prototype of TECLA in Ravenna is built entirely using reusable and recyclable materials.
By becoming the first eco-habitat to be built using Crane WASP (world’s first modular and multilevel 3D printer designed to collectively build singular and large-scale architectural works), the structure takes inspiration from potter wasp, founded on the principles of a circular economy and digital fabrication.
Source: TECLA: 3D printed eco-habitat by WASP and Mario Cucinella Architects in Italy
Rescued charm – Baltimore’s abandoned homes are being recycled | United States | The Economist
The yellow pine that was used to build Baltimore’s rowhouses came from old-growth forests, and is more dense and rot-resistant than faster-growing new lumber; a century of oxidation has given it a handsome, dark patina. Furniture-makers and interior designers play up its provenance, designing items around its joist- and plank-shaped pieces, some of them pocked with nail holes and saw marks.
Source: Rescued charm – Baltimore’s abandoned homes are being recycled | United States | The Economist
Popular home décor trends for 2021 | Bedfordview Edenvale News
There has also been a shift towards repurposed or ethically sourced, natural materials. “Homeowners should keep this in mind when doing any renovations. Over time, likely, homes with environmentally friendly features, such as built-in cupboards made from reclaimed wood, solar panels, water-saving faucets, will become increasingly desirable, especially among younger buyers.
Source: Popular home décor trends for 2021 | Bedfordview Edenvale News
600,000 Tonnes of Floor Covering Goes to Landfill Each Year in UK – What Can We Learn from Holland? – YouTube
600,000 Tonnes of Floor Covering Goes to Landfill Each Year in UK – What Can We Learn from Holland?
Shop the Sustainable Fashion Highlights of the Spring 2021 Collections | Vogue
Marine Serre spring 2021Photo: Courtesy of Marine Serre
Marine Serre’s Magic Carpets:
A handful of Marine Serre’s burgundy jackets, skirts, and dresses were made from reclaimed carpets; each is one-of-a-kind.
Source: Shop the Sustainable Fashion Highlights of the Spring 2021 Collections | Vogue
Preservation Society Puts Entire City of Providence on Its Annual Most Endangered Properties List — ecoRI News
The whole of Providence was included on the 2021 list because of the many climate-change challenges the city faces. (Frank Carini/ecoRI News)
“We’ve been talking behind the scenes about how to infuse our preservation work with this mindset, and of course preservation is an inherently green practice, particularly with adaptive reuse of old buildings. So, this really gave us a great way to marry preservation and sustainability. It just gave us a great jumping-off point.”
Room & Board’s most beautiful furniture uses 400-year-old wood
[Photo: Room & Board]
The Forest Service is eager to support efforts to reclaim wood because it means fewer trees will be felled; it now coordinates with the city of Baltimore to identify properties destined for demolition and sends in crews from companies with expertise in deconstruction, including Brick+Board.
Source: Room & Board’s most beautiful furniture uses 400-year-old wood
Architects Climate Action Network Calls for Regulation of Embodied Carbon
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Finbar Charleson / ACAN
Reuse existing buildings: Pursuing a strategy of retrofit, refurbishment, extension, and reuse over demolition and new build.
Source: Architects Climate Action Network Calls for Regulation of Embodied Carbon
Treasures saved during a life of demolition | Stuff.co.nz
“It’s too good to throw away.”
Source: Treasures saved during a life of demolition | Stuff.co.nz
‘Leonard’s Way’ Community says bye for now to ‘unofficial mayor of Eagle Creek’ | News | alexcityoutlook.com
Cliff Williams / The Outlook Firefighters from the Eagle Creek Volunteer Fire Department served as pallbearers at the funeral of Leonard Cannie Mckelvey Thursday.
McKelvey was laid to rest in a casket made from reclaimed barn wood looking over the Eagle Creek Baptist Church and the Eagle Creek Volunteer Fire Department, both of which the carpenter helped build.
‘Deconstructed’ Century Old Barn Lives On In Other CT Homes | Branford, CT Patch
The barn, built in 1912, once deconstructed, was found to have some of its timber from many years before.
Inside a northwestern Connecticut home there’s now timber from an ancient “deconstructed” Branford barn, purchased to match the existing 19th century floorboards. In a house in the state’s northeastern corner, the barn’s 110-year-old doors now live. And, an artist purchased pieces of the barn built in 1912 for their studio.
Source: ‘Deconstructed’ Century Old Barn Lives On In Other CT Homes | Branford, CT Patch
Today’s wind turbine blades could become tomorrow’s bridges
If this experimental bridge is a success, it could be the first of many. Angela Nagle, a civil engineering Ph.D. student at the University College Cork who is investigating environmental, economic, and policy issues surrounding blade bridges, hopes to see dozens of them dotting the Irish countryside in the not-so-distant future. With 11,000 tons of blades expected to be decommissioned across Ireland by 2025, there should be no shortage of material to work with.
Source: Today’s wind turbine blades could become tomorrow’s bridges
6,300-Acre Colorado Ranch With 11 Private Ski Runs and a Custom Bar Sells for $30 Million – Mansion Global
The property has a ski lodge and 11 ski runs. HALL AND HALL
The estate offers every conceivable outdoor activity, starting with 11 private ski runs, plus a ski cabin made from reclaimed barn wood.
How to reuse or recycle Christmas trees in Philadelphia – WHYY
Christmas trees put out in the trash in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
“By recycling them and returning them to the earth, we reduce our waste costs and create a valuable resource,” he said.Options include composting your tree, recycling it into chips, feeding the green to goats, turning it into a barrier to protect dunes from erosion, or even cooking, using pine needles like herbs.
Source: How to reuse or recycle Christmas trees in Philadelphia – WHYY
Exploratory Study of Salvaged Lumber as Feedstock for Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) | Tallwood Design Institute
This study suggests that salvaged lumber could potentially be a new source of raw material for mass timber products, which could create new opportunities for wood waste recovery and greener building products.
Salvaged lumber from Portland deconstruction practices was collected, graded, and processed for mass timber panel manufacturing.
Salvage style stands out in this Grade II-Listed Georgian townhouse | Livingetc
The aesthetic combines the original Georgian features; exposed beams, plaster, eaves and brickwork, alongside contemporary craftsmanship and modern elements required for twenty-first century life.
Source: Salvage style stands out in this Grade II-Listed Georgian townhouse | Livingetc
Tour This Houseboat on The Rockaways | Architectural Digest
Many of the windows in the home are not windows at all—they’re doors, turned sideways and repurposed as large awning-style windows. Margaret adds, “We don’t use air conditioners. We have no need for that in the summer because we get such a wonderful breeze through the house.” Ty Cole
Source: Tour This Houseboat on The Rockaways | Architectural Digest
A Pandemic Woodworking Journey: Turning A Barn Into A Home | The ARTery
The barn’s original floorboards, before and after. (Simón Rios/WBUR)
A demolition crew came in and did the best they could to salvage the floorboards. Their level of care was less than pristine — the boards came out splintered with with huge gouges left by pry bars and hammer blows — but I couldn’t afford to pay someone to take up each board with a soft touch.
Source: A Pandemic Woodworking Journey: Turning A Barn Into A Home | The ARTery
A software application to ease the reuse of construction materials
For example, it changes the layout of the structure and it optimally selects and positions elements from existing stocks to further reduce the structure’s carbon footprint, it limits the number of new cuts and keeps the number of components to a minimum.
Source: A software application to ease the reuse of construction materials
This Todd Snyder-Designed Lodge Makes For The Most Luxurious Rustic Getaway
The two bedrooms are fitted with custom ABC Home patchwork rugs, reclaimed Russian Pine headboards, mirrors featuring custom live-edge wood frames, pebble stone-tiled bathroom showers, naturally stained nickel-gap wood along the walls, honed princess white marble top night tables and John Robshaw linen bedding accented with wool blankets
Source: This Todd Snyder-Designed Lodge Makes For The Most Luxurious Rustic Getaway
Best Green Project: Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design | 2020-10-27 | Engineering News-Record
Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design PHOTOS BY JONATHAN HILLYER
The Kendeda Building also is the first global example of using salvaged materials in a mass timber project, incorporating nearly 500 nail-laminated panels crafted from salvaged 2x6s and 2x4s previously used for local movie and TV productions.
Gwyneth Paltrow is selling a £45,000 bed – and the mattress alone cost £25,000 | Daily Mail Online
Actress turned health guru Gwyneth Paltrow, 48, pictured is selling an eco-friendly and sustainable sourced handmade bed for £45,000 ($58,252) in a partnership with bespoke L.A-based bed-makers Avocado
Meanwhile the frame is made from reclaimed wood, with handmade springs in organic cotton pockets offering the bed support and comfort.
Source: Gwyneth Paltrow is selling a £45,000 bed – and the mattress alone cost £25,000 | Daily Mail Online
Pamplin Media Group – Reused MAX train designs debated at Oregon Rail Heritage Center
DAVID F. ASHTON – Competition exhibits are taped up on the sides of old rail coaches for public display – to be voted on by people attending the event.
The competition grew out of an idea by TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey to find a way to re-purpose the Type 1 light rail vehicles while addressing a public need, and if successful, keeping the trains from becoming scrap. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to find a new way to re-use these old trains that advanced the legacy of transit – connecting people with services, with opportunities, with the community we so value?” he asked.
Source: Pamplin Media Group – Reused MAX train designs debated at Oregon Rail Heritage Center
The Case for Upcycling in Architecture | Architect Magazine
Triest Verlag
“The preservation and qualitative reuse and repurposing of existing building stock means: –architectural relevance is gained through complexity and multiplicity of meaning (instead of through form) –Identity, longevity, and historical and social continuity are bolstered –Knowledge of building culture and construction is secured – The simplicity, durability, and sustainability of building construction, building materials, and technology are challenged and promoted.
Source: The Case for Upcycling in Architecture | Architect Magazine
Holly Springs resident builds house out of mostly recycled materials | Lifestyle | tribuneledgernews.com
Holly Springs resident Mark Whitlock used his over 30 years of experience in the salvaging business to construct a building from mostly recycled materials. This building is the first new one in the Town Center District.
“All of the floor has been reclaimed out of a building in Pennsylvania, which used to be a part of an old school house,” Whitlock said. “A building in Kentucky was taken down by a fire, so I salvaged about six tractor trailer loads of it and turned it into furniture. I also brought back 13 tractor trailer loads of lights and light fixtures from Texas to use to create my own light fixtures. Every light fixture in the house was made from these materials and the ones I didn’t use for the light fixtures in my h
Your future home could be powered by the bricks it’s built with | Grist
Grist / Alexandrum79 / Getty Images
Right now, when about 60 of D’Arcy’s bricks are stacked together in a system, they can store enough energy to power a 3-watt light bulb (the small ones shaped like candle flames) for almost an hour.
Source: Your future home could be powered by the bricks it’s built with | Grist
In Japan, Repairing Buildings Without a Single Nail – YouTube
In the past, making and developing metal was too costly for carpenters in Japan. So instead of using nails, carpenters called “miyadaiku” developed unique methods for interlocking pieces of wood together, similar to a giant 3D puzzle.
Inside a vintage-filled Belfast home brimming with clever upcycling ideas | IMAGE.ie
“It’s an industrial sewing machine and would have been operated by several women at the same time,” Jill says. “We added a glass panel so you can see through to the mechanics as you eat.”
Source: Inside a vintage-filled Belfast home brimming with clever upcycling ideas | IMAGE.ie
FGCU students upcycle broken hockey sticks to create oyster reefs | News, Sports, Jobs – Cape Coral Breeze
An oyster reef made of old hockey sticks being installed at homes Wednesday in Cape Coral. CHUCK?BALLARO
It is called the “Rinks to Reefs” program, where the broken sticks from the FGCU hockey team are used to make oyster reefs to be placed in the water, attached to docks, at local residences, where the oysters can grow and help clean the canal water.
Forget Sustainable Construction—It’s Time for Sustainable Deconstruction – CU Denver News
The Zippered Pavilion is constructed of Zippered Wood technology, which uses short lengths of waste 2x4s.
Many commercial buildings have a life cycle of about 10 years (think about strip malls and office parks, for example), and yet most architects approach their work as if it’s permanent. “Architects never think about how their buildings come down,” Swackhamer said. “There is no incentive to think about decay.”
Source: Forget Sustainable Construction—It’s Time for Sustainable Deconstruction – CU Denver News
Americans are converting more used school buses into tiny homes during the pandemic
© Cory Marie Podielski Sparrow Kettner, 36, and her husband Keith Smith, 29, converted an old, yellow school bus into their future home. They are traveling musicians in a band called The Resonant Rogues.
Sales of the used, bright yellow vehicles, called “skoolies” by their owners, have risen in some markets during the recession as more Americans shift toward a nontraditional, more affordable and socially distanced way to live.
Source: Americans are converting more used school buses into tiny homes during the pandemic
Design Notes: Maria Speake | House & Garden – YouTube
In this Victorian house in London, Maria Speake – House & Garden’s Interior Designer of the Year – has cleverly reorganised the layout and made inventive use of the salvaged materials for which her company Retrouvius is known.
14 Black-Owned Ethical and Sustainable Brands to Support
Credit: Bohten.
The eyewear frames are made from reclaimed materials and wood which are found in West Africa.
Source: 14 Black-Owned Ethical and Sustainable Brands to Support
Company creates climate-friendlier alternative to traditional clay bricks » Yale Climate Connections
Prof. Gabriela Medero, Heriot-Watt University (Image credit: Heriot-Watt University video)
“Architects and designers, they get really excited because they can be adopting a building material that is sustainable, is as durable as what they are used to using, but they can be very creative and can produce very exciting different new designs with all the colors that we can produce,”
Source: Company creates climate-friendlier alternative to traditional clay bricks » Yale Climate Connections
Safe Stays In Five Luxury Countryside Hotels Reopening From July 2020
The Barn, the luxury cottage that’s part of The Pig hotel, Bridge Place, near Canterbury, Kent, England PAUL ALLEN/ANDFOTOGRAPHY.COM
Also, seven charming, double-bedded Kentish Hop Pickers’ huts on stilts alongside the river, have each been made from reclaimed materials.
Source: Safe Stays In Five Luxury Countryside Hotels Reopening From July 2020
Preserving the history of deconstructed Sask. barns | CTV News
The Prairie Barn Brothers are taking on their biggest project yet: the deconstruction of a 126 x 68 two-storey timber frame barn. (Stefanie Davis/CTV News)
“There’s so many different unique applications you can do with the barn wood that just makes it stunning,” he said. “We regularly get cedar, fir, spruce and spine as the major types of wood.”
Source: Preserving the history of deconstructed Sask. barns | CTV News
Four ways circular economy architecture is future-proofing homes
Peter Cook
‘Think of your house as a bank of materials that can be deconstructed, separated, and reused, and design this in from the outset,’ he says.
Source: Four ways circular economy architecture is future-proofing homes
Aurora Mills Expanding Retail Footprint, with Place for Large Things and Airplane Wings
“Yeah, we have one of those,” Byrnes said with a laugh. “It was for a giant. And it will be for other large items: back bars, theater lighting, airplane wings, floor boards, things like that. I like to joke that we could fit a double-decker English bus in there.”
Source: Aurora Mills Expanding Retail Footprint, with Place for Large Things and Airplane Wings
10 tips on salvage materials from Jimmy Mitchell – Living Building Chronicle
Skanska’s Jimmy Mitchell has been a strong advocate for salvaged building materials for more than a decade.
From Long Beach to Boston, a new generation of organizations has grown up around the deconstruction of buildings and the sale of reusable materials. They’re often nonprofits backed by local architects, builders and environmental groups. Their aim is to build a supply chain that puts salvaged goods on equal footing with new products and materials.
Source: 10 tips on salvage materials from Jimmy Mitchell – Living Building Chronicle
Ultimate Cozy Cabins: Rustic Retreats Made from Converted Antique Train Cars
Above: Built for transporting cargo, the train cars date from the early 20th century and have been fully refurbished for year-round living: each has a sitting room, full kitchen, bedroom, and bath.
Join us for a tour of our favorite attraction, the two antique railway carriages that they converted into storybook guest quarters, each overlooking a lake.
Source: Ultimate Cozy Cabins: Rustic Retreats Made from Converted Antique Train Cars
Salvage beauty: Builder delights in designing with discards – Mount Desert Islander
Keith Raymond designs and builds houses using reclaimed materials. ISLANDER PHOTOS BY SARAH HINCKLEY
Different types of wood aren’t the only thing Raymond seeks to salvage from assorted online sites. He also finds windows, appliances, tiles and fixtures. Recently, Raymond had a lead on a slate sink that slipped through his fingers.
Source: Salvage beauty: Builder delights in designing with discards – Mount Desert Islander